Rudyard Kipling"
āWhen you're left wounded on Afganistan's plains and
the women come out to cut up what remains, Just roll to your rifle
and blow out your brains,
And go to your God like a soldierā
General Douglas MacArthur"
āWe are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.ā
āIt is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.ā āOld soldiers never die; they just fade away.
āThe soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and be the deepest wounds and scars of war.ā
āMay God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't .ā āThe object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.
āNobody ever defended, there is only attack and attack and attack some more.
āIt is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.
The Soldier stood and faced God
Which must always come to pass
He hoped his shoes were shining
Just as bright as his brass
"Step forward you Soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?"
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't
Because those of us who carry guns
Can't always be a saint."
I've had to work on Sundays
And at times my talk was tough,
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.
But, I never took a penny
That wasn't mine to keep.
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills got just too steep,
The Soldier squared his shoulders and said
And I never passed a cry for help
Though at times I shook with fear,
And sometimes, God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.
I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around
Except to calm their fears.
If you've a place for me here,
Lord, It needn't be so grand,
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand."
There was silence all around the throne
Where the saints had often trod
As the Soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.
"Step forward now, you Soldier,
You've borne your burden well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."
The problem with political stability in Malaysia By Commander S THAYAPARAN (Retired) Royal Malaysian Navy
Monday, December 02, 2024
Malaysiakini : āBeing an old farm boy myself, chickens coming home to roost never did make me sad; theyāve always made me glad.ā
- Malcolm X
COMMENT
| Of course, I agreed with Wong Chin Huat when he disagreed with former
prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad on the latterās contention that
there should be legislation that only permits two parties.
Mahathir has never met a democratic first principle which he didnāt think needed to be ditched for hegemonic power.
Asked
about something as trivial as freedom of assembly and association, the
old maverick proudly claimed that there was āno absolute freedomā, even
though he started not one but three parties (Umno Baru, Bersatu, and
Pejuang) in an attempt to sustain political power and āgood resultsā be
damned.
āIf you want total freedom, there must be good results.
When you find that freedom destroys a society, you have to think about
limits to freedom,ā he said.
Mind
you, Mahathir is speaking of fascistic ideas which have sustained him
for decades when he was in power. People, especially non-Malays, voted
for him which legitimately kept him in power.
